Conventional root canal treatment techniques are based on drilling through the top of the tooth in the case of molars, or via the lingual side or palatinal side of the tooth in the case of anterior teeth, and removing the infected pulp. The root canal is then subjected to several therapeutic procedures including extirpation of the root pulp, cleaning and clearing the canal, widening the canal and smoothing its walls by removing hard tissue obstacles, treating it to remove infection pathogens, washing, drying and filling. One or more x-rays of the root are required to provide feedback on the process. Dental drills and endodontic files are commonly employed for at least some of these procedures. Lasers are known for use in general surgery and dentistry, and are sometimes employed for the material removing process.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,162,052 discloses a laser handpiece configured by a main body and a laser probe mounted on the tip end of the main body. The laser probe has an emission fiber, and a laser beam generated by a laser beam source is emitted from an emission end portion of the emission fiber. The emission end portion of the emission fiber is formed into a circular conical shape. The laser beam emitted from the emission end portion contains a first laser beam which is emitted in the axial direction of the emission fiber, and a second laser beam which is emitted in a ring-like shape in a radial direction of the emission fiber.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,458,120 discloses a surgical laser system combining a laser diode array remotely connected to a hand-held surgical probe by a fiber bundle. The surgical probe includes a laser head which produces a laser beam for surgical tissue ablation that is delivered through a disposable intraocular probe tip. The probe tip is made of a short section of optical fiber. Auxiliary water and thermal electric cooling integral to the hand piece cools the laser head.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,679,837 discloses a medical surgical or dental laser light irradiating apparatus which enables operators as well as third persons to view the treatment. The medical laser light irradiating apparatus includes an optical fiber for emitting from its front end the laser light, a handpiece for holding said optical fiber, a relatively large camera and light incident face which is made integrally with the handpiece so that it faces at least a laser light irradiated area and is spaced therefrom, imaging means for imaging of at least laser light irradiated area based upon the light which is received through the light incident face, display means for displaying a result of imaging from said imaging means, and jetting means for jetting an air to an area in front of said light incident face. By way of general background, other imaging systems are known, for example in U.S. Pat. No. 6,013,025, which discloses a miniaturized endoscope formed by passing light in both directions down the endoscope.